Every parent's worst nightmare became a harsh reality for a young Sunshine Coast family—frantically racing against time to save their two-year-old daughter Igea.
As they read books together before bedtime, Igea got down from the couch to get another book but accidentally knocked over a glass of water which shattered.
“Igea slipped right in front of my eyes. She was lying face down on the ground and when I picked her up, I saw blood,” Igea’s mum Marika remembers.
“She had lacerated her wrist in a split second on a piece of glass during her fall.
"I knew straight away that it was a bad injury. The bleeding soaked through multiple towels and I told husband Luke to call the ambulance.
“I just couldn't comprehend how this had happened so quickly.”
Luke, with 16 years of fire and rescue training, and Marika, having undergone First Aid training, used a tourniquet in their first aid kit to control the bleeding while awaiting the ambulance. Their focus was on keeping Igea calm and maintaining a safe environment.
When asked what was going through their heads, Luke explained: “Please don't die, don't die.”
“With her brother asleep upstairs, I just kept thinking - is he going to wake up and she will be gone?” Marika says.
Igea had severed six tendons, a main artery and her medial nerve she had to undergo a five-hour surgery at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH). A chipped bone miraculously spared her hand from complete severance.
“Any news from the surgical team after her operation was a bonus to us because our daughter was alive and has been able to keep her hand.
As Igea continues lengthy recovery, the youngster attends weekly visits to the occupational therapy clinic at SCUH.
“Igea is hesitant towards going back to the hospital, so we have to give her reassurance that the hospital is a good place, little reinforcements, like the Wishlist-funded Clown Doctors, make it such a positive experience for her.
“We are healing from the trauma and taking each appointment one at a time.”
Marika and Luke share their story to highlight the importance of basic first aid training.
Marika firmly believes that having a first aid kit and basic skills helped save her daughter’s life.
"Even if you don't recall all the training, having the reassurance that you've learned something gives you the confidence to plan and take action.
“I don't want sympathy by sharing my story - I just want to raise awareness that accidents like this can happen, and even having basic knowledge or a first-aid kit can make a huge difference.”
Thanks to local business SNAP Paediatrics, Wishlist is hosting monthly First Aid Essentials sessions for new parents at Wishlist Centre in Birtinya.
